Donor-advised funds, or DAFs, are charitable savings accounts offered by many financial institutions and some nonprofit organizations.

If you have a Donor Advised Fund and wish to give to the Thompson Foundation for Autism & Neurodevelopment, you can send a grant today to our EIN 20-8293152.

A donor receives the same tax benefit from giving to a DAF that they would from any other qualified charitable organization. The money in the DAF can then be sent to any charity of the donors’ choosing.

Advantages of DAF:

• Easy to use: Many financial institutions provide DAFs, which means you can achieve your philanthropic goals with a trusted advisor or institution.
• Converting complex assets: If you have an asset that is difficult to give outright to a charity, a financial institution could help you use that asset to fund a donor-advised fund that could then be used for charitable purposes.
• Strategic giving: Finding a charity that best meets your philanthropic goals can be challenging. By giving to a donor-advised fund, you can receive the charitable tax deduction while allowing more time to explore and decide on your best charitable partners.

DAF giving strategies:

• Recurring Payments: You can set up a DAF to distribute a percentage or amount as a recurring payment to your charities of choice.
• Beneficiary Designation: You can choose charities that benefit from some or all of the value of an existing DAF in your estate plan.
• Capital gains advantages: Some institutions allow donor-advised funds to be invested and grow, possibly creating additional funding throughout your philanthropic endeavors.

If you have a Donor Advised Fund or are thinking of starting one and want to learn more about how it could impact the children and families served by the Thompson Foundation, please contact Sam Hayes at sam@thompsonfoundation.org.